Short messaging service (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS), often referred to simply as “text messaging,” is a very popular form of communication. With SMS, users can send a message up to 140 characters long (or longer messages broken into 140 character parts), which is received by the recipient usually within seconds. Text messages can be useful when a voice call is not possible, for example, because one of the users (the sender or the recipient) is at work, in a meeting, or otherwise unavailable.
The addition of multimedia messaging service (MMS) has enabled users to include photos, emojis, and other types of media in messages, further enhancing the service. Users can now take a picture with their camera phone, for example, and then send the picture and a caption in an MMS to one or more recipients. And, while an MMS provides additional capabilities, it still functions in substantially the same user-friendly way as an SMS message.
One drawback to current SMS and MMS messages, however, is that, once they are sent, they cannot be edited, recalled, or deleted. So, if a user misspelled a word in a message, for example, they may send another message simply to correct the spelling of one word. Worse, users can sometimes inadvertently send a message to the wrong recipient, which cannot then be recalled or deleted. Obviously, some messages intended for friends or loved ones might reveal confidences or be embarrassing if accidentally sent to the wrong recipient.